


make your heart feel something

by captainsflyboy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 19:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16750261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainsflyboy/pseuds/captainsflyboy
Summary: Keith loves Shiro.Shiro says he loves Keith, too.(Inspired by the leaks, with a twist.)





	make your heart feel something

It all started with a date.

Shiro cleaned up really nicely, black silk shirt stretched over his broad shoulders, hair slightly tousled to give an effortless but sensual flair, dark fitted jeans, and a new grey blazer (Keith’s present to him) to finish off the look. It’s been a while since Keith saw him in anything other than the usual Atlas uniform. He’s really dressed to impress this time and it took Keith’s breath away, even more so, albeit in a different way, when his date arrived and Keith saw their silhouettes fade as they walk hand-in-hand.

He remembers the sharp stabbing pain in his chest, the burn of liquor down his throat, the throbbing in his head. He didn’t expect Shiro to come back alone that night — didn’t expect him to come back at all — so he blames what he did next entirely on the alcohol.

He remembers telling Shiro, speech slurred, “I love you,” and Shiro’s small chuckle at that, Shiro patting the top of Keith’s head, Shiro’s voice, playful, chiding, telling him to go to bed and mind the hangover tomorrow. 

He remembers shouting at Shiro’s face, “You don’t get it,” grabbing him by the collar and planting a close-mouthed kiss on Shiro’s lips. Remembers using too much force hoping that this time Shiro would listen to the longing behind his confession.

He tries to forget Shiro’s hesitation, the way his eyes searched Keith’s, that look on Shiro’s face that meant he’s thinking too much — like when he’s poring over battle strategies — the way his quiet “oh,” didn’t sound like relief nor joy. 

“Yeah, of course,” Shiro said later, “I love you, too.”

 

* * *

 

 

Things are okay. Things are great. 

They go on dates. They move in together. The crew and Paladins tease them a lot for their public displays of affection. Keith secretly swells at the attention, at people knowing Shiro is his, that they belong together as a set. Little things like people asking Keith where Shiro is when nobody can find him, or when they leave a spot next to him empty because they know it’s reserved, or being given two servings of leftovers by the kind canteen lady for him to take home and share with Shiro.

His life is disgustingly domestic, a mundane happiness of the everyday that should be unattainable in space.

He loves it. Loves every part of his life right now. The missions, the excitement of flying in space, the thrill every new planet exploration gives him. Most importantly, that he shares this with Shiro. Shiro, who gladly moved the earth forces to outer space when Keith told him he wanted to continue helping other species. Keith feels selfish for it sometimes, especially on days when he can see the dark circles under Shiro’s eyes, the way the exhaustion shows in his sluggish movements. But whenever he asks Shiro if he’s okay, if he wants to go back to earth, rest a little, Shiro always tells him everything’s all right. That Keith’s not being selfish and Shiro wants this for him, too, that Shiro owes him everything and is willing to give him anything he needs. Keith protests at that — because Shiro doesn’t owe him shit — and is reassured every time that Shiro does this on his own volition, so he lets it drop and trusts that Shiro’s telling the truth.

Keith is happy, here, out in space, with Shiro. He only hopes Shiro is, too.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s two years into their relationship when Keith asks the question.

Things go by in a blur. He’s down on his knees and high on his nerves and the silence extends for far too long to him and he lets out a massive breath of relief when Shiro finally says yes and allows Keith to slot the ring on his finger. Keith’s eyes linger over the silver band on Shiro’s human finger. Drinks in the sight. 

“You said yes,” he doesn’t mean to say out loud.

Shiro gathers him into a hug. Keith rests his chin on the crook of Shiro’s neck. “Of course, Keith. I’m never going to say no to you.”

And it should feel like victory, like love, those words, and maybe it is said with love, but something inside Keith twists and settles like a puzzle piece that’s been forced to fit but doesn’t.

 

* * *

 

 

They have the wedding on Earth. It’s short and sweet, nothing fancy, just family and friends by the cliffside where they used to rest after racing on their hoverbikes. 

Iverson officiates the wedding and Keith chokes up on his vow because he means every word of it. Means them so much it hurts. 

When it’s Shiro’s turn Keith can barely listen to what he’s saying. His heart is beating too fast, his blood thumping in his ears. Shiro’s looking ethereal in white — like an angel, like a spectre — and panic grabs him by the throat. He grips Shiro’s hands maybe a little too hard as he’s suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that he has to hold on, to never let go, lest the illusion is shattered and he desperately wants Shiro, wants this, to be real.

 

* * *

 

 

Things are okay until they’re not.

It’s not so much that they fight a lot — they don’t — but there’s something hollow between them, something nagging Keith that he’s always tried to bury deep inside until it snowballs and Keith can’t get a good night’s sleep anymore. Keith’s happy, but he’s really not, he can’t be, when he doesn’t know if Shiro is, too. When he knows Shiro isn’t.

He thinks of Adam, of what could’ve been between him and Shiro had Shiro not have his illness then. Had he not gone to Kerberos.

He thinks of that one date that started all of this, the guy with the funny hair and funnier name that looks a little bit like Adam and nothing like Keith. Thinks of what could’ve been if Shiro didn’t find Keith that night after the date, if Shiro hadn’t been too kind.

He looks at the space between them in their bed and — not for the first time, if he’s being entirely honest — wonders if, to Shiro, this marriage is more work than love.

So Keith gathers his courage that morning. Just like any other morning, normal as anyone else’s, as normal as it can get for the leader of Voltron and Atlas. 

“Hey, Shiro.” Keith’s voice echoes in the silence of their living room, the quiet humming of Atlas’ machinery in the background.

Shiro mumbles a “hm?” signalling him to continue. Shiro’s sprawled on the couch reading the morning brief displayed on his tablet. Keith braves himself with all he’s got.

“Are you happy? With me?”

The thumping of his heart feels so loud he fears Shiro can hear it all the way from where he’s sitting on the couch. His hands are clammy, his feet feel like there are ants crawling all over them. He reminds himself to breathe. 

Shiro finally lifts his head to look at him and it’s one of the longest moments in Keith’s life.

The worst part is that he knows Shiro, knows him too well. Memorised Shiro’s tells after years of being friends, best friends, lovers, husbands, that Keith can notice even when Keith’s inebriated, the half-truths by omission that sometimes Shiro uses as a back up when he’s being cornered, when he’s too flustered to come up with a response, or lie, because Shiro’s nice. Too nice. So when Shiro stammers and asks, “What brought this on, baby?” Keith knows. 

Keith can sense the tears gather in his eyes and it feels a bit like the start to an end. “Nothing, just,” he says, steadies his voice, looks down at his silhouette in the dark brown of the coffee in his hands, means every single word because Shiro deserves everything Keith can give him, more than what Keith can give him, “I love you, Shiro. Always. No matter what.”

He doesn’t look up — doesn’t need to, doesn’t want to — when Shiro says, “Yeah, of course. I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> scream at my bullshit on [twitter](https://twitter.com/captainsflyboy)


End file.
